Hänseler, F., Farooq, B., and Bierlaire, M. (2013)

An aggregated dynamic flow model for pedestrian movement in railway stations

Swiss Transportation Research Conference, Ascona, Switzerland

Pedestrian flows occurring in train stations are multi-directional and highly non-stationary. In this work, we develop a cell-based pedestrian flow model capable of describing flow patterns arising when a multitude of trains arrive and depart in close succession. We assume that pedestrian demand, i.e., OD flows and corresponding route fractions, are known a priori. Based on first-order pedestrian flow theory and a cell-transmission model, propagation of individual groups of pedestrians is described depending on route, departure time and group size. Further- more, traffic-dependent path choice is considered using route-specific potentials assigned to each cell. A detailed derivation of the mathematical framework and a literature review is provided, underlining the novel aspects of the proposed model.